Few activities seem to promise us as much happiness as going travelling: taking off for somewhere else, somewhere far from home, a place with more interesting weather, customs and landscapes. But although we are inundated with advice on where to travel to, we seldom ask why we go and how we might become more fulfilled by doing so.

With the help of a selection of writers, artists and thinkers - including Flaubert, Edward Hopper, Wordsworth and Van Gogh - Alain de Botton's bestselling The Art of Travel provides invaluable insights into everything from holiday romance to hotel mini-bars, airports to sight-seeing.

The perfect antidote to those guides that tell us what to do when we get there, The Art of Travel tries to explain why we really went in the first place - and helpfully suggests how we might be happier on our journeys.

About the Author

Alain de Botton, FRSL (born 20 December 1969) is a Swiss-British writer and television presenter resident in the United Kingdom. His books and television programmes discuss various contemporary subjects and themes, emphasizing philosophy's relevance to everyday life. At 23, he published Essays in Love (1993), which went on to sell two million copies. Other bestsellers include How Proust Can Change Your Life (1997), Status Anxiety (2004) and The Architecture of Happiness (2006).

Industry Reviews

Richly evocative, sharp and funny. De Botton proves himself to be a very fine travel writer indeed * Sunday Telegraph *Delightful, profound, entertaining. I doubt if de Botton has written a dull sentence in his life * Jan Morris *An elegant and subtle work, unlike any other. Beguiling -- Colin Thubron * The Times *Honest, funny and dripping with witty aphorisms. Extremely entertaining and enlightening . . . all the way to journey's end * Herald *